Harry e



a. E. SMALLBONE.

SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I4| I917- Patented D60. 16, 1919.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HARRY E. SMALLBONE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DOMESTIC SEWING MACHINE 00., INCL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORZPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEWING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 14, 1917'.

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sewing-Machines, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this pecification.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel construction for supporting the mechanism for controlling the length of stitch and the forward and reverse feed of a sewing machine.

The various features of novelty whereby the present invention is characterized will be hereinafter particularly pointed out in the claim; but, for a full understanding of the invention and of it various objects and advantages, including those heretofore enumerated and others, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawin 's, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the upright member of a sewing machine head from which the overhanging arm extends, the section being at right angles to the horizontal shaft which extends longitudinally through such arm;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view looking .toward the right hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line 77 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on line 88 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, 11 represents the upright portion of the overhanging arm of a sewing machine through which extends the usual shaft, 3, adapted to oscillate the feed lever, 13, through a jaw, 14:, at the upper end of the latter in the usual way. The lever 13 is pivotally connected to the upper end of a link, 16, the lower end of which is pivotally supported on a stud, 17, mounted at some distance from the axis of a stub shaft, 18, on a flange or head, 19. The stub shaft 18 is rotatably mounted in a bearing in the wall of the member 11, projecting through this wall and havmg on its outer end an actuating handle, 20. In the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Serial No. 174,661.

arrangement shown, the member 20 is provided with an elongated sleeve or hub, 21, extending entirely through the bearing for the shaft 18 and abutting against the head or flange 19. Surrounding the sleeve 21 is a stationary split bushing, 22, against the exterior of which bears a screw 23; the opening in the bushing being so disposed with respect to the screw that when the latter is pressed against the bushing the bushing is contracted about the sleeve 21 and thus serves to hold the latter and the shaft 18 frictionally in any position into which they may have been adjusted.

On the exterior of the arm is a scale or index, 25, adapted to cooperate with a pointer or marker, 26, on the handle 20. The parts are so proportioned that when the axis of the pivotal connection 27 between the radial link and the lever 13 is directly above the axi of the stud 17 there will be no vertical movement of the lever when the shaft 3 is rotated. The pointer or marker 26 will now point to the zero point on the scale or index. By moving the handle in one direction or the other from zero, a condition will be brought about which will cause the lever 13 to rise and fall when the driving shaft is rotated; the shifting of the handle in one direction giving a forward feed to the work and a reverse feeding movement being obtained by shifting the handle in the opposite direction. In each instance the scale or index enables the operator to know the length of stitch which will be obtained.

It is desirable that the same length of stitch may be retained when feeding in the reverse direction as during the forward feed which occurred just before the reversal, and without requiring the operator to use any great care in bringing about this result. It is furthermore desirable that the change may be back again from reverse to forward without affecting the length of stitch. An example to illustrate the desirability of these characteristics is the fastening or tacking of the end of the seam which can conveniently be accomplished by simply reversing the di rection of feed and, if no change is made in the length of stitch, a firmer and tighter stitch will result than would be the case if the length of the stitch were changed and, if no change in the adjustment of the stitch is produced by the reversing operation, the same length of stitch will be insured upon starting a new seam.

In order to permit the direction of feed to be shifted back and forth without afiecting the length of stitch, I have provided an adjustable stop device which may consist simply of a screw, 28, having a head, 29, which is knurled or otherwise fashioned so that it may be turned easily by the operator, and wings or shoulders, and 31, on the flange or head 19; the screw extending through the wall of the hollow upright member 11 of the arm of the machine and surrounded underneath the head thereof by a spring, 32, which will frictionally hold it against accidental turning movement. The parts 28, 30 and 31 are so disposed that in any adjustment of the screw, if the handle 28 is turned in either direction from its Zero point, it will cause the same length of stitch to be produced regardless of whether the feed is forward or reverse. Therefor the ope "ator, upon adjusting the stitch-regulat ing handle, may set the screw 28 so that it will just touch one of the wings or shoulders 30, 31, and then, when the direction of feed is reversed, the other wing or shoulder will be arrested by the screw at the proper point to insure that the length of stitch will not have been changed by the act of reversing the feed.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claim.

I claim:

In a sewing machine, a reversing device including a supporting journal having an operating handle on its outer end, a split bearing sleeve surrounding said journal, and means for pressing said sleeve about the journal in order to secure sufficient frictional resistance to rotation to hold the reversing device in any position into which it may be adjusted.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

HARRY E. SMALLBONE. 

